Business Development Manager

Fire&Spark is hiring a Business Development Manager to build relationships with people at in-person and virtual events, nurture prospects over time, and generate sales-qualified leads for the sales team. This role focuses on relationship-building, event follow-through, and consistent CRM documentation rather than cold calling.

Key Responsibilities

• Run Fire&Spark’s conference calendar and proprietary events end-to-end, including pre-event research, in-room relationship-building, and post-event follow-through
• Attend 4-8 in-person events per year
• Build and nurture relationships with the email and event audience over weeks and months, without relying on automated drip sequences
• Document every sales conversation and relationship touchpoint in the CRM with diligence and consistency
• Develop and share ideas for new partnerships, offers, and ways to extend Fire&Spark’s thought leadership reach

Role Goals

• Connect with people live, including sometimes in person at events
• Develop a strong understanding of Fire&Spark’s agency and services
• Nurture prospects over time to build trust before advancing a sales conversation
• Identify the right timing to shift a relationship toward sales engagement
• Generate sales-qualified leads for the sales team to close

Required Qualifications

• A genuine love of people
• Comfortable and confident working a room
• Strong discipline around CRM documentation
• US-based and authorized to work in the US
• Ability to travel roughly once a month for event attendance
• Relationship-building capability
• Patience and sound judgment
• Ability to proactively bring partnership ideas
• Strong communication skills

Helpful Experience (Bonus Points)

• Comfort using AI tools such as Claude and Clay (or similar) to prep for conversations and stay organized
• Background in marketing agencies, especially AI Search, SEO, or content marketing
• Experience with enterprise-level B2B prospects
• Healthcare or exposure to regulated industries

Tools and Technologies

• Claude
• Clay

What You’ll Work With

• Proprietary events: up to 12 curated events per year, typically 20 to 35 attendees, aligned with the ideal customer profile
• High-profile speaking platform: the CEO speaks at 12 to 15 conferences per year, including UNBOUND, Content Marketing World, and MAICON
• Live virtual events: 2 per month, with 100 to 600 registrations each
• Engaged audience: active email/LinkedIn audience and a growing library of thought leadership content

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary: USD 85,000 per year
• OTE: estimated ~$130,000 - $140,000 in a strong year (base + commission + conference bonus), depending on experience and track record
• Sales commission based on performance
• Conference bonus: additional performance bonuses tied to successful conference relationship-building
• 401k match up to 4%
• Health and dental insurance
• Paid time off: 15 days vacation + 5 days paid sick leave + 10 paid holidays
• $500 annual wellness stipend
• $750 annual remote work stipend

About Fire&Spark

Fire&Spark is an AI Search agency built on the conviction that AI search is won by earning trust and making brands intelligible to AI, not by gaming algorithms. Founded and led by the CEO, a recognized authority on SEO and AI Search Optimization (GEO), Fire&Spark helps ambitious brands turn organic search into a durable growth engine. The company works with enterprise and high-growth companies with deep specialization in digital health, guided by core values including intellectual honesty, relentless curiosity, and doing work it is proud to put its name on.